GUSTARD DAC-R26 Balanced Decoder R2R+1Bit Dual Native Decoding Music Bridge

[m-i-c-k-e-y]

Meaning, from a wired/wireless network as source, it could play directly music (Tidal, Qubuz, Airplay, UPnP etc).

 

[EMINENT]

Meaning, from a wired/wireless network as source, it could play directly music (Tidal, Qubuz, Airplay, UPnP etc).

Apologies. I haven't dabbled in streamers or networked audio. Hard drives yes.

I only have one pc at the moment via ethernet and a Surfave Pro X and Galaxy Z Fold 3.

Unfortunately, it didn't come with a manual and not found online either.
What method could you suggest for testing?

 

[mmwwmm]

You can download the manual from here
http://www.gustard.cn/?attachment_id=15145&download=1
It’s the chinese manual but I think it would be easy to translate with some software.
By the way It seems you own a X26 Pro. It will be great if you could share your impressions about the differences in SQ between both.

 

[EMINENT]

You can download the manual from here
http://www.gustard.cn/?attachment_id=15145&download=1
It’s the chinese manual but I think it would be easy to translate with some software.
By the way It seems you own a X26 Pro. It will be great if you could share your impressions about the differences in SQ between both.

Thanks! Requested and Gustard sent the manual in English.

There is this setting I am curious about.

ATTENUATION When there is no independent pre-amp, the DAC is directly connected to highgain amplifier or high-gain active speakers, so it is very likely that a large digital volume attenuation (for example, -40dB) will be used to listen to music at a proper volume, which will bring big impact to the sound quality. This function is designed for this kind of application. When this feature is on, a very good analog attenuator provides a gain of - 30dB. For a global gain of -40 dB, only -10 dB digital attenuation is required when using this function. That provides a much better DNR performance.

Is it advised to use this since I don't have a preamp. Just connected to Oor and from HQ Player using NOS mode where volume is fixed so I have resorted to digital volume control in Roon with HQP volume.

 

[roderickvd]

Excited to learn once anyone has auditioned this. Pondering whether I’ll be moving in the direction of a Pontus II or this with a DDC or better clock. Two different things, I know, but the streaming stuff is just nice to have for me. It’s the (hopefully?) direct I2S that I find appealing instead of the Pontus which then still reclocks.

A bit discouraging that the measurements of the manufacturer and L7 audio seem so apart. Difficult to know what the R26s potential will be with a better clock… it could be amazing, could not. Even then, then Pontus has double the number of ladders so should be better SQ-wise when used balanced.

 

[roderickvd]

Thanks! Requested and Gustard sent the manual in English.

Could you share? Thanks!

 

[mmwwmm]

And please, could you share your impressions about its sound? (and compared to the X26 Pro)

 

[EMINENT]

Could you share? Thanks!

Attached

And please, could you share your impressions about its sound? (and compared to the X26 Pro)

From my post on Discord today:

Yeah, I only have X26P to compare. Early days still. So far the R26 sounds pretty good with stock LCD5. By memory, less harsh than X26P. Originally first couple days it was spread out sounding and bass felt diffused and soft. After a few days, it's gotten better and more tight like the X26P. I am not a stock sound kinda guy though. The X26P is absolutely end game with convolution, EQ, HQP, Oor/Hypsos. I got the R26 out of curiosity about R2R sound and timing of launch and discovering DSD playback hiss on my X26P, not that I needed DSD, just didn't like the idea of it not working correctly. Since I needed something to use while I send it off, enter R26. After a few days it can totally replace the X26P. Differences are it is a tad more soft in bass presentation, a touch of spread out feeling in comparison and less mid forward compared to X26P.

 

[gonzfi]

MQA decoding on this device?

 

[roderickvd]

Hope not

Sorry don’t mean to launch yet another MQA debate but honestly I will actively try to avoid money on it.

Edit: seems it does, see the link in the post below.

 

[roderickvd]

Attached

Thanks for sharing!

From my post on Discord today:

Do I understand correctly when I summarize that initially you thought it was OK but now as good or slightly surpassing your X26 Pro?
R-2R DACs are best when left on, so their resistor networks get into a good temperature range, improving linearity.

Couple of thoughts / questions:

- How do you think the device looks in practice? From the pictures someone on ASR thought it looked like a set-top box from the 90s. I would agree.

- The clock as pictured is the same K2 as in the X26 Pro. Measurements of the latter have shown great performance, contrary to L7Audio's measurements. I wonder if the device they measured was faulty, the clock isn't quite the same, or the implementation differs so much.

- It's not clear to me whether this device is reclocking or not (and possibly upsampling like the Denafrips line-up). It's not marketed anywhere so I thought not, but there is some information to the contrary here: https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/...rd-r26-r2r-dac-x-giesemann-ocxo-master-clock/.

- I don't think that the USB interface is galvanically isolated.

- The two points above mean that this device might actually scale well with a DDC and external clock.

- I have no experience with 10 MHz clocks yet, but is it normal that it accepts both a square and sine wave? Some sort of auto-detection going on there?

- Capacitors look like Nichicon KG/KW with WIMA MKP bypass cpacitors. That's pretty high grade (though not the highest).

- Nice that the display brightness can be configured.

- Also nice that the transformers seem well split from the rest of the electronics. I wonder why there are two -- I only see one set of rectifier diodes so this may be either for load sharing, or those discrete diodes are possibly for the analog section and there might be a chip-based digital power section elsewhere.

Interesting device.

 

[EMINENT]

Thanks for sharing!

Do I understand correctly when I summarize that initially you thought it was OK but now as good or slightly surpassing your X26 Pro?
R-2R DACs are best when left on, so their resistor networks get into a good temperature range, improving linearity.

Couple of thoughts / questions:

- How do you think the device looks in practice? From the pictures someone on ASR thought it looked like a set-top box from the 90s. I would agree.

- The clock as pictured is the same K2 as in the X26 Pro. Measurements of the latter have shown great performance, contrary to L7Audio's measurements. I wonder if the device they measured was faulty, the clock isn't quite the same, or the implementation differs so much.

- It's not clear to me whether this device is reclocking or not (and possibly upsampling like the Denafrips line-up). It's not marketed anywhere so I thought not, but there is some information to the contrary here: https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/...rd-r26-r2r-dac-x-giesemann-ocxo-master-clock/.

- I don't think that the USB interface is galvanically isolated.

- The two points above mean that this device might actually scale well with a DDC and external clock.

- I have no experience with 10 MHz clocks yet, but is it normal that it accepts both a square and sine wave? Some sort of auto-detection going on there?

- Capacitors look like Nichicon KG/KW with WIMA MKP bypass cpacitors. That's pretty high grade (though not the highest).

- Nice that the display brightness can be configured.

- Also nice that the transformers seem well split from the rest of the electronics. I wonder why there are two -- I only see one set of rectifier diodes so this may be either for load sharing, or those discrete diodes are possibly for the analog section and there might be a chip-based digital power section elsewhere.

Interesting device.

Wow. That's a lot of technical questions I am not qualified to give any insight to, sorry.

Basically, it has been changing in sound since first couple days. I think best to wait till next week to give another update after 200 hours if it's the same. But, as of the first 100+ hours, yes the bass has tightened up and become more impactful or something else is going on and i'm just getting used to it. I haven't turned it off and always left the X26P on.. same here.

As far as looks and feel, I like it as it's a bit more svelte and rounded compared to the other.

I don't think they do any galvanic isolation on the higher tiered units so that the DDC's can have a place. Same with better clock. I have no experience with clocks and haven't been sold on them yet and have no intention of ever exploring them short of just curiosity. Definitely not for $1000+ so you might have to wait for someone else to try it.

 

[Highfive99]

- Also nice that the transformers seem well split from the rest of the electronics. I wonder why there are two -- I only see one set of rectifier diodes so this may be either for load sharing, or those discrete diodes are possibly for the analog section and there might be a chip-based digital power section elsewhere.

Interesting device.

One is for analog side the other for the digital. X26pro is designed the same. Looks like they took alot of the X26pro design elements and incorporated them into the R26. Makes sense from a manufacturing point of view.

 

[Giangi]

There's a firmware upgrade

 

[EMINENT]

Link?